


Times Up

by Johnstonmara353



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:55:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24992677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnstonmara353/pseuds/Johnstonmara353
Summary: Kalinda overhears Cary talking to partners in the firm. The decision is coming sooner than she thought for Alicia and Cary. What can she do?
Relationships: Alicia Florrick/Kalinda Sharma
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Times Up

Times Up

Alicia/Kalinda

Summary: Kalinda overhears Cary talking to partners in the firm. The decision is coming sooner than she thought for Alicia and Cary. What can she do?

Kalinda stormed into Will’s office, slamming the door behind her. She was clearly on a mission. The investigator had been following Cary for the last few days. Monitoring his phone calls and emails. Eavesdropping on conversations Cary had with Alicia when he believed they were alone. She heard every foul word he spoke to her. She had bugged Alicia’s office and captured every dig he made at her. She had comforted Alicia after he sent the scandal videos to her email. Would listen to her cry when Cary went behind her back to her clients. Encouraging them to drop the scandal wife and allow him to represent them. Hanging around Diane’s office like a puppy waiting for a treat. She wouldn’t allow Cary to sneak around, bad mouth Alicia to fellow partners when they didn’t even bother to get to know her. Men that didn’t bother to see what was beyond her title as Mrs. Florrick. Even Diane had disappointed the investigator. She was always going on about wanting to mentor more women and help them shatter that glass ceiling. And yet, she focused all her energy on Cary. 

Will looked up from his desk. He could see the fire in her eyes as she crossed his office. He couldn’t remember a time he ever saw Kalinda upset. She was always cold, but never outright upset. She never yelled. Never cried. She kept a steady voice and head. But Will could always see the anger and frustration in her eyes and face. Her eyes turn almost black, her jaw locks in place, and she clutches that orange notebook until her knuckles turn white. He could see all that in her as she approached his desk. “What can I do for you, Kalinda?” he asked, wanting to avoid an argument. Will quickly assumed a client had been inappropriate with her again or it was about money. 

She threw her notebook on Will’s desk. Sitting in the chair in front of him. She was pissed. Her entire body tense. Her jaw aching from grinding her teeth in order to keep her mouth shut. She wanted more than anything to strangle Cary. Or at least make sure everyone knew what an asshole he was. She knew the information that she overheard wasn’t something that was supposed to be out. Alicia obviously didn’t know or she would have mentioned it to her the dozens of times she had seen her that morning. “You’re deciding on Friday.” It wasn’t a questions. She wasn’t there to ask Will any questions. She was there to tell him what he needed to know. Information that should make a difference on who got the position that Alicia had worked so hard for. 

Will rolled his eyes and slammed his computer closed. He had told the partners to keep that information to themselves until they decided. He hadn’t wanted the verbal battles to begin. And he definitely didn’t want Kalinda on his ass. Will already knew what the decision would be. The partners had a pre-vote a few days before and it was in Alicia’s favor. But he couldn’t tell Kalinda that. He couldn’t tell Kalinda anything without becoming vulnerable. “How the hell did you hear about that?” As the question left his lips, he almost felt ignorant. Kalinda could find out secrets you weren’t even aware you had. Of course she would listen to the gossip if it concerned being forced to work with Cary instead of Alicia. 

Kalinda crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she was being unfair to Will. But from everything that Alicia had told her about their past, Kalinda had expected Will to have her back. To want to protect her just as much as she did. “Cary is going door to door to the partners talking shit about Alicia. Partners that barely know Alicia from the cashier at the supermarket.”

Will brushed it off. Yes, they had to take a vote of the equity partners, but it was ultimately up to himself and Diane. Colin Sweeney, the biggest client the firm had, only came after Alicia was hired. He took a liking to her. Wanted her in the room and in court with him. It was easy for him to be honest with her. Most of the clients the firm had accumulated over time wanted Alicia on their cases. She understood the effects of a public scandal better than anyone. She was excellent comforting the wives of many of their clients. And more importantly, Will knew how good she was. “Don’t worry about Cary. Diane and I are only going by the work they have done.”

Kalinda was becoming fed up with no one listening to her. When did it become acceptable to junior associates to emotionally torture and slander there co-workers? Will didn’t have any idea what was going on in his own firm, and she doubted Diane did either. Kalinda, on the other hand, knew everything about everyone. She had to do the background checks on everyone before they were hired. She knew everyone’s secrets. She’s just never had any reason to use it, until that moment. She rolled her eyes and almost threw her pen across the table. “Really? So you’re aware that Cary has only been to court with Alicia as his second chair.? He has never gone to trial by himself. He pleads everything out. He almost had a stroke in arbitration. He’s bad mouthing her to the other partners. Calling clients behind her back and talking up the scandal. He’s been torturing her by sending her emails about the sex scandal. Sending her the recording of Peter and the hooker having sex. How the hell is this right?”

Will smiled. He had never seen Kalinda so passionate about anything. She had worked for their firm for five years and she had never, not once, taken any interest in their junior associates. “How do you know all this? I never asked you to check up on Alicia or Cary.”

Kalinda gave that coy smile. “I’m your investigator. I have access to everyone’s emails and passwords.” She paused for a moment, the smile fading quickly. Thinking back to three nights ago. Alicia crying on her shoulder because a client asked her how she felt about her husband sleeping with hookers. She couldn’t escape from Peter’s idiocy. She couldn’t protect her children from the questions and pain. “I’m her best friend, Will. Do you have any idea what it feels like to watch your best friend fall apart because of some twenty-something choir boy? Do you know how hard it is to listen to her scream because Grace came home from school crying because some stupid boy asked her if she was as frisky as her mom? Do you have any idea how hard that is? And I can’t do anything to help her.”

Will let out a breath. The realization of the moment finally hitting him square in the chest. He could see it in Kalinda’s eyes. It was the same look he had at Georgetown every time he spoke to Alicia. He was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. All the times he had called either of them, he could hear the other laughing in the background. All the after work drinks. All the late nights. “K, we make the decision Friday. We can only go by the work Alicia and Cary have done. I never asked you to investigate our employees. I never wanted this to get out. But if something is going on between Cary and Alicia, she needs to come talk to us.”

Kalinda rolled her eyes. She had tried to convince Alicia to talk to Will about what was going on. She wanted to take the emails to him personally so he could see the harassment for himself. Alicia wouldn’t let her. She didn’t want to be the woman that came back to work about thirteen years and was now causing trouble. The saddest part, Alicia really did like Cary. “If you fire her, I’m gone,” she said, picking up her notebook from the desk and standing. She was done playing games and trying to get people to listen. She could easily go back to the State’s attorney’s office. Finding a job had never been a problem for her. Alicia finding another job, when jobs for lawyers were slim, would almost be impossible. Between her reputation and lack of experience, she was damaged goods as far as a firm was concerned. 

Will leaned back in his chair. Lacing his fingers together as she shook his head with a laugh. “You promised me you would have my back.”

Kalinda smiled. She had said those words when they both believed Stern and Diane were trying to push him out. It turned out not to be true, but Kalinda had made a promise to go with him if he ever left the firm. “I’ll always have your back. But I won’t work for a law firm that allows the pretty choir boy to bully the former housewife. Especially when she is one of the best lawyers this firm has ever hired.” Kalinda paused, searching for the right words. She wasn’t good at describing how she felt. She never had been. “Don’t you think it’s time for someone to watch her back? Isn’t it time that someone steps up and protects her? She’s the strongest person I know, but I can’t watch her fall apart anymore, Will.”

Will smiled. He had already made his decision. He had already heard the rumors about Cary trying to jump to the State’s Attorney’s Office. And despite what everyone believed, Diane did like Alicia. “I’m glad you have her back, K. She needs someone like you.” As much as it pained him to watch Alicia suffer during the scandal, there was very little he could do. Kalinda could be there for her. Could comfort her in ways that he couldn’t. 

Kalinda shook her head. “I’m serious, Will. If she’s gone, I’m gone.”

Will nodded and went back to his paperwork. “I know you are, K. I promise you don’t have anything to worry about.”

*

Kalinda all but ran down the stairs to Alicia’s office, closing and locking the door behind her. She was out of breath. Three inch heels and stairs weren’t her best friend. She couldn’t wait for the elevator. Couldn’t risk running into Cary and having to make small talk while she imagined killing him with her baseball bat. She leaned against Alicia’s desk, taking a few deep breaths before trying to speak. “You have until Friday,” she said with a light gasp.

Alicia shook her head. Her face shown nothing but confusion and panic. Kalinda had almost given her a heart attack, barging into her office without so much as a hello. That wasn’t the quiet, poised investigator that she knew. She remembered speaking to Diane a week ago about their decision. The older woman was giving her a pep talk. Telling her how she could be better. At the last minute, she was able to sign a new client. She had talked to Will a few days ago about the decision. He just told her not to worry about it. Alicia glanced around for a moment. She wished the walls weren’t glass. She could see Cary on the other side of the hall, glancing in their direction. “I have…? No. I have two weeks.”

Kalinda shook her head, taking a seat next to Alicia’s desk. It had become her permanent working space over the last few weeks. Alicia had made space for her to work on the corner of her desk. It wasn’t a large amount of space, but it was enough and the attorney didn’t seem to mind. Kalinda found that Cary would avoid the office if she were present. She had watched him several times start to come to her door with a grin on his face only to spot her and turn on his heels. “Diane and Will are deciding between you and Cary on Friday.”

Alicia sat the folder she was holding down on the table. Either Will lied to her or something had happened to make them speed up the process. She had been fearing the decision. Diane and Will both told her not to worry. But by the look on Kalinda’s face, she felt that she probably should be. “Where did you hear that?”

Kalinda sat in the chair next to Alicia’s desk. Finally, someone was listening to her. She hadn’t wanted to scare Alicia, she wanted to make her aware of the situation so she had some control over it. “Cary was going door to door to the equity partners, lining up support. He heard it from your assistant. My guess is he’s phoning in on accounts, loading up on receivables.” She paused for a moment, glancing at the glass. Not wanting to be overheard. “How are you and Will?”

Alicia shook her head, throwing her pen on the desk. She remembered the kiss. Remembered how embarrassed she had been. In the moment, she thought kissing Will would illicit some kind of spark. She had been attracted to him throughout their time at Georgetown. But when that moment finally happened, she didn’t feel anything. “I don’t know,” she sighed. She didn’t want to explain what she feeling at the moment. She would tell Kalinda later. She would tell her the entire situation that had occurred and how she felt about it, but she couldn’t do that now. Not with people glancing in her office every few minutes. 

Kalinda pulled her chair closer. She could see the gears turning in Alicia’s head. Something had happened that she hadn’t told her. “What happened?”

Alicia played with the hem of her skirt. She didn’t want to talk about Will. Not in the office where everyone could see and hear. She didn’t want anyone to know how close her and Will once were. But their current friendship was just as confusing as her marriage to Peter. She no longer knew where she stood in either of their lives. Peter didn’t seem to want her anymore and Will had seemed distant until the kiss. “I don’t know anymore,” she mumbled. 

Kalinda rolled her eyes. She couldn’t remember how many times they had had that conversation. The investigator had been doing nothing but pushing her into sleeping with a man that she hadn’t seen in fifteen years. She didn’t push her because she hated Peter for what he had done, but because she believed it was what Alicia really wanted. “You do know. You just don’t want to say. Did you sleep with him?”

Alicia shook her head, almost laughing to herself. “Don’t you think that if I slept with Will, you would know about it? I tell you everything.”

Kalinda sighed, biting her lower lip. Will had been pining for Alicia for the last fifteen years. He loved her, or at least he believed he did. Kalinda had watched Will, watch Alicia over her time at the firm. He watched her as if there was no other woman in the world. And she would frequently catching Alicia blushing when she would catch his eyes through the glass. “So that’s the problem; you didn’t sleep with him?”

She shook her head again. She couldn’t believe she was discussing her sex life in the office. “No, we talked about it. We had a moment, but...”

The investigator shook her head. Watching Alicia flounder for words was something she rarely experienced. “You shut it down?”

Alicia looked up. “It’s not that simple, Kalinda. I’ve always cared about Will. He was my only friend at Georgetown. He was always there for me when Peter screwed up. But it’s complicated.”

Kalinda could believe that. Will had loved Alicia since their years at Georgetown. He had told her all about it when they went for drinks one night. Will always told her that he wished he had fought for her harder. He backed off then. Respecting her decision to marry Peter. Kalinda was sure he would take clues from Alicia and back off now. The investigator wanted to continue the conversation, but the look on Alicia’s face stopped her. Her best friend looked guilty of something. She filed the questions away for later and focused on the problem they could fix together. “You have three problems. Cary’s a good finisher. He got a head start. And Will is gonna work overtime to appear objective. Unfairly objective.”

Alicia turned her body toward her best friend. The one that had been pushing her to sleep with their boss. The one that had been comforting her over the last few weeks. The one that always encouraged her during late night court prep. The friend that always had her back. “I can’t sleep with Will to keep my job. If he decides to fire me, then I’ll call one of the ten firms that have been poaching me.” She couldn’t sleep with Will if she didn’t feel anything for him. She didn’t want to be the former state’s attorneys wife that slept with her boss in order to keep her job. She couldn’t lead Will on just to let him down later. 

Kalinda tried to grab Alicia’s attention. She was avoiding her eyes. “I never said you should sleep with Will to keep your job. I suggested it because I know you’ve cared for him for a long time.” 

Alicia shook her head. “I care for Will more than anyone will ever understand, but I don’t love him. I don’t think I ever really did. He was always a nice thought. Maybe if it would have happened when I first started, but not now.” Alicia bit her bottom lip trying to suppress a smile. Kalinda had been so focused on pushing her towards Will that the investigator didn’t see what was right in front of her. “Someone else has caught my attention,” she almost whispers.

Kalinda gave her typical chesher cat grin. For once, Alicia had surprised her. “And who has caught Ms. Alicia’s attention?”

Alicia looked up and caught her eyes, smiling slightly. Kalinda was brilliant. She was the smartest person Alicia had ever met. But she had never paid much attention to way Alicia stared at her. The investigator was too busy worrying about who was showing Alicia too much attention. Kalinda never noticed how Alicia would stand or sit too close to her. “Think about it. You’re an investigator; you’ll figure it out.”

Kalinda got up and headed for the door. She had never been more confused. Her hand was on the door knob when Alicia spoke again. “When you figure it out, let me know.”

*

Alicia could say she wasn’t expecting the knock on her door at nine o’clock at night, but she also knew that it wouldn’t take Kalinda very long to find her answer. She set the bottle of wine back on the island, straightened her skirt and made her way to the door. She pulled the door open, Kalinda standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. The investigator that was normally so confident, was now standing before her, shy and slightly shaking. 

Alicia moved from the doorway. Wanting more than anything for Kalinda to come inside. Wanting her to fight the natural urge she had to run away. Alicia could see it in her eyes. The automatic fight or flight response. But for once, Kalinda froze in front of her. She had never seen Kalinda speechless. Had never seen her without a response or quick comeback. She was the master of diversion. Using her body to get what she wanted. But that wouldn’t work on Alicia. She couldn’t simply seduce her best friend to stop her from talking about her feelings. However, Alicia could see it in her eyes that she wanted to try. “Wanna come in?” She finally asked. 

Kalinda nodded, moving past her without a word. Hanging her coat on the coat rack before taking a seat on the sofa. Her purse on the floor at her feet. She played with her hands that were folded in her lap. Twisting the ring that was on her thumb. Kalinda had been in Alicia’s apartment more than a dozen times. Sometimes it felt as if she spent more time in Alicia’s home than in her own. There was no need to be nervous, however, she was. This was new territory. She had never fallen in love with her best friend. She had never even had a best friend. Looking around the room, Kalinda was seeing it for the first time as a potential partner. The home was intimate, even more so with the lights dimmed. There were family photos hanging on the walls; a few pictures of her and Alicia sat on her mantel. A fresh hot wave ran through Kalinda’s veins as she took in the pictures of them laughing at the camera. Although, it was just a picture, for Kalinda it was more intimate than that. The photo had been placed at a spot of importance. It was the first thing people saw when they entered the family room. 

Alicia grabbed the bottle of wine she had been drinking from, and another glass from the cabinet before she joined her friend in the family room. She poured the second glass and handed it to the silent woman. The attorney found it odd that Kainda hadn’t said a single word. She had been in the apartment for five minutes and had remained completely silent. Alicia took a sip of her wine. She didn’t need to be drunk to have the conversation she had been hoping to have for a while. She wanted to be sober. She wanted to remember everything in the morning. But Kalinda’s silence was almost making her regret the confession she gave. “You gonna say anything?” she asked, her voice low. 

Kalinda took a large drink from the glass. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out who Alicia was talking about. An hour after she left Alicia’s office she knew her best friend had a crush on her. All the time they had spent alone over the last few months. All the secrets they had shared. Kalinda had opened up more in the last few months than she had in her entire life. She told Alicia things she had never told anyone else. And she thought she knew Alicia better than anyone. She never saw the signs. She was almost proud of the poker face that her friend held. “When?”

Alicia leaned back on the couch, finally completely relaxed. The glass of wine at her lips as she smiled, thinking back to all the times she had wished she could reach out for Kalinda. It was that first case. Kalinda had invited her for drinks after the long awaited win. Tricking her into doing more tequila shots than she had ever done in her life. Becoming so drunk she spent the night on Kalinda’s couch. It was the first night she fell asleep without a care in the world. The first time in a long while that she could just be Alicia; not a wife or mother, just Alicia. “That’s a difficult question to answer. I believe it started that first night we went for drinks. But I think it was an accumulation of things over time.”

Kalinda sat in silence for a moment, this wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her best friend. Why couldn’t Alicia have made it easier and chosen Will? He could give her everything she wanted. He could give her a normal life. And Kalinda knew, her life, was anything but normal. “Why tell me?” she finally whispered. 

Alicia sat up, reaching for her phone and flipping through messages. When Kalinda had left her office that afternoon, Alicia could feel her phone vibrating across the desk. Will had been trying to call her for the last hour, until finally leaving a text message. She remembered smiling to herself as she red the words that appeared across the screen. She had watched Kalinda from her office for the rest of the day. The older woman had wanted to approach her, but chose to wait until Kalinda finished her ‘investigation’. “I’m tired of being pushed to sex with Will. I don’t want anymore than I already have with Will.” She paused for a moment. Her next words needed to be chosen carefully. “He sent me a text when you left my office.”

She handed her phone over to the investigator. Kalinda watched as her hand trembled when her fingers brushed over Alicia’s. It was indeed a message from Will time stamped just after she had gotten back to her desk across the hall. “Alicia, I had an interesting conversation with Kalinda. As you are probably aware, we make our decision on Friday. She’s threatening to quit if we fire you and keep Cary. She is serious, Alicia. I have never seen her so attached to another person. You’re lucky to have someone like her watching your back.” Kalinda put the phone back on the table. “He had no business telling you that.” Her neck and cheeks were starting to become hot with embarrassment. 

Alicia reached for her hand, but before she could make contact with the woman, Kalinda pulled away. Not quickly, but with enough movement to make it clear for Alicia not to try again. The lawyer hadn’t known what to expect when the investigator finally saw the attraction for herself. She was well aware Kalinda was guarded, but some how it still stung when she pulled away. Alicia finally released defeated sigh. “If this is making you uncomfortable we can forget about it.” Alicia drank the rest of her wine quickly. The drunker she got, the more she could deal with the embarrassment. “I’m gonna need a lot more wine,” she muttered, reaching for the bottle on the table. It wasn’t exactly how she saw the night going, but it was a night she would be used to.

Kalinda quickly took the bottle away, placing it on the side table, out of the lawyers grasp. Alcohol was only going to get them into even more trouble. The drunker they became the less they were gonna remember in the morning. And that would leave Kalinda without answers once again. “No, more wine,” she said. 

Alicia rolled her eyes. First Grace tells her she’s drinking too much and now Kalinda was telling her she couldn’t drink at all. It was gonna be along and painful night if she wasn’t allowed to drown her rejection in booze. “If we aren’t gonna talk about this, then I need to drink.”

Kalinda shook her head. Pulling her legs up on the couch and facing her best friend. Her palms were still sweaty and her ears were still bright red with embarrassment, but she didn’t run away. She didn’t try to hide herself. She was willing to expose herself for the first time in five years. “We can talk about it. But no more alcohol. I’m not talking about this and you use the fact that you were drunk to forget tomorrow.”

Alicia sat her now empty glass on the coffee table. There was no blushing. No embarrassment. For once she knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. She was no longer afraid to express the feelings that she had been hiding for so long. “You think very little of me,” she mumbled, resting her head back against the couch with a slight smile on her face. 

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Alicia,” she said. For once reaching for Alicia’s hand. Her fingers interlocking with Alicia’s. The connection between the two of them was undeniable. Kalinda could feel the electricity running through her fingertips like a white hot wave. Out of all the people the investigator had been with she had never felt anything like that before. She ran her thumb over Alicia’s knuckles. “I don’t want any excuses for either of us. If we decide to not talk about this again, it’ll be because we both choose not to.”

Alicia tightened her fingers around Kalinda’s. It was the most open and honest she had ever been. The attorney believed it would be more difficult to coax the investigator into talking about feelings. “Let’s talk,” she said with a smile. 

Kalinda tried to look braver than she felt. In truth, her heart was pounding, her palms were sweating, and her throat was suddenly dry. “I don’t know what this means to you, Alicia.” Kalinda licked her dry licks, trying to focus on her friends face. “I can’t just sleep with you. It would mean too much.” She suddenly looked away. “It would hurt too many people.”

Alicia wasn’t entirely clear on Kalinda’s line of thinking. “Kalinda, look at me,” she said, smiling, squeezing her hand. Waiting for the petite woman to glance up through her lashes. “I’m not really clear on what you’re saying. If you have a specific question just ask me. I’ll answer you honestly.”

Kalinda nodded. Swallowing hard, but maintaining eye contact. “What are you specifically looking to have with me?”

Alicia smiled. Of course Kalinda would want details and specifics. “I thought we could get coffee before work Monday morning. Maybe dinner tomorrow night.”

Kalinda sat silent for a minute, never letting go of Alicia’s hand. “You want to date me?”

Alicia could understand that the investigator was nervous. She was nervous. Everything was new to her. Everything was finally open for her. “I would like to date you, yes. I would like to see what this is?” She glanced down at their hands. The way Kalinda’s fingers fit perfectly between her own; in a way that Peters never had. “I want to know all of you, K.” 

The pit of Kalinda’s stomach was twisted. She knew Alicia could feel her palms sweating. “Why me?”

Alicia smiled, tilting her head to the side. It was the same way she acted in court when a witness already knew the answer to a question they were asking. “We’re gonna be here a long time if you want to hear all the reasons why I like you. And it might make you uncomfortable.”

Kalinda smirked, trying her best to put on her poker face. “There’s not a lot anyone can do to make me uncomfortable.”

Alicia smirked, moving her thumb over Kalinda’s knuckles. “I wasn’t gonna point it out, but you’re uncomfortable right now. And I don’t want this to be uncomfortable. We have never acted this way before.”

Kalinda tried to calm her pounding heart. She was hurting Alicia. It was unintentional, but she was hurting her. The investigator took a deep, noticeable breath and turned her body to fully face her friend. “I’m fine, Alicia. Just tell me.”

Alicia felt a chill run through her body, goosebumps developing on her skin. It happened almost every time Kalinda said her name. It didn’t matter where they were. “I like how my body reacts when you say my name,” she almost whispers. 

Kalinda smiled, remembering all the times she caught Alicia shivering. All the times she had given the attorney her leather jacket to wear. All the times she had cuddled closer to Alicia on the couch to keep her warm. “I just always assumed you were cold.”

She shook her head. “Far from cold.” She bite her bottom lip, contemplating her next words. “I love your loyalty, Kalinda. I love the friendship you offered me without caring about who I was or what happened. I love that you force me to have fun. And I love that you never judged me. You gave me a chance when nobody else did.”

Kalinda moved slightly closer on the couch. It wasn’t a seductive move. She always wanted to be closer to her. Always found a reason to touch. A reason to bump into her in the hallway at work. A reason she sneak into the elevator without her looking. She felt comfortable with her closeness. “You went from like to love really quick.”

Alicia blushed and looked away for a moment. “You’re my best friend, Kalinda. There will always be things I love about you. Those things don’t change just because my feelings have shifted in another direction. They just add to all the things that make you an amazing person.”

Kalinda couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not very good with kids. Never been around them. Never really had the desire to be.” She paused for a moment, choosing her next words carefully. She remembered all the times she spent with Grace at the office. And all the times Zach would help them hack into someone’s email account. She could do it herself, but it made him felt as if he belonged. “I like your kids. I enjoy spending time with Grace and Zach. They’re brilliant kids. I just don’t know how comfortable they’ll be with me.”

Alicia didn’t even flinch. She simply smiled and shrugged. “So, come over every now and then. We could watch a movie with them. Or have dinner with us. It doesn’t have to be complicated, Kalinda. We can go really slow and introduce things as they come.”

“You make it sound so simple,” she whispered, moving her cool hand to Alicia’s bare thigh. Feeling a little braver knowing she could now touch her. 

“This will be as simple or as complicated as we want it to be,” she whispered. 

Kalinda moved her fingers against the pale flesh of Alicia’s thigh. Her skirt riding up higher. “What does simple look like?”

Alicia could feel the fingers on her thigh. It was a new sensation, but not an unwelcome one. “Simple is letting things happen naturally. Not forcing anything we aren’t ready for. And keeping this between us until we are both ready for anyone to know.” She leaned her head back against the couch and closing her eyes as Kalinda’s fingers inched her skirt up. “You seem to be gaining your confidence back.”

“Not that hard to gain your confidence back when you tell me everything you love about me, Alicia,” Kalinda whispered, earning her the chills and goosebumps she had been waiting for. “How committed are you to this?”

Alicia turned her head and opened her eyes. Kalinda was smiling at her. “You’re asking me about commitment?” She watched Kalinda nod. “I would like for us not to see anyone else.”

Kalinda stuck out her bottom lip, but the seductive look in her eyes said something entirely different. “Poor Will.”

Alicia looked at her sharply. “That means you too, smart ass.”

Kalinda was only slightly offended. Alicia had been cheated on by a man that promised her he would be faithful. She gave up her career for him to have his. She gave fifteen years of her life to someone that didn’t deserve it. The investigator moved closer. Her hand leaving Alicia’s thigh, but rested under her chin. “I would never betray you. I would never cheat on you. I would never put you or your children in danger. That’s not who I am.”

Alicia nodded. “I can’t keep this a secret forever. I don’t want to hide, Kalinda. I’ve dealt with enough hiding and lying for a lifetime.”

“Three months,” she whispered. Kalinda had moved her hand to Alicia’s neck. Her fingers tracing the soft skin below her ear. “We wait three months to disclose to Will and Diane. I don’t want the first three months, the time that is supposed to be the most exciting, to be ruined by constant questions and rumors. I would rather build a foundation first, and tell others when we understand what this is.”

Alicia smiled. Kalinda was always the one shying away from relationships and commitment. And yet, she was the one that already had a plan in her head. Alicia saw the dedication in her eyes. “Does this mean I can flirt with you now?” she said with a sly smile. 

Kalinda laughed. “That’s what I want to see. The prim and proper powerhouse attorney trying to seduce me.”

Alicia took that as a challenge. She leaned forward, a sexy smile planted on her face. She could feel Kalinda shiver as she blew softly along her neck. Her tongue traced her ear, gently, barely touching her. “Kalinda...” Alicia whispered. She knew Kalinda. Knew her well enough to know that most Kalinda was the seducer. She was the one that did the chasing. “You don’t think I can seduce you, Kalinda?” she rasped against the skin of her neck, barely touching her still. “I can turn you on and never even touch you. You’re wet for me, aren’t you?”

Kalinda had wanted to wait for them to progress forward. Wanted to make sure Alicia knew what she was asking for. The attorney was making that very difficult. Kalinda knew her panties were ruined. She couldn’t remember the last time she was that turned on. She had certainly never been that turned out without being touched. “Why don’t you find out?” she gasped as Alicia tongue traced her ear again.

Alicia purred in her ear. “I would, but you wanted to be seduced, Ms. Sharma.” The attorney moved away from her. Her hands working the buttons on her blouse. The black lace bra coming into view by the third button. Her eyes never left Kalinda’s. As more of her skin was exposed, Kalinda’s eyes dilate and a moan released from her throat. “Still wanna play, Kalinda?” Alicia whispered as she dropped her blouse to the floor. 

Kalinda’s eyes traveled over the newly exposed skin. Lingering a little longer on the belly ring that she never expected to find on the classy Alicia Florrick. She wanted to see more. Wanted to take in whatever the lawyer offered her. “Absolutely.”

Alicia’s fingers trailed down between her breasts. Biting her lip as she watched Kalinda lick hers. Her fingers found the zipper of her skirt and pulled it down. She had never undressed like that for Peter. Never put on a show for her college boyfriend or any of the women she had been fooling around with at that time. It was mostly drunken or darkened fumbling. There was usually a goal. Not with Kalinda. With Kalinda she wanted to make a show of herself. Wanted her to see every layer she had to offer. “I love you, Kalinda. More than you will ever know,” she whispered before she allowed her skirt to fall to the floor. 

Kalinda couldn’t believe what was revealed when Alicia’s skirt hit the floor. Black lace panties and a small peace sign tattoo on her right hipbone. She wanted to feel that porcelain skin under hers. “I want to touch you,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to say it any louder. 

Alicia shook her head. A smile plastered across her face. She didn’t want to fumble around on the couch like a couple of horny teenagers. She wanted to take her time. She didn’t want to risk her children coming home and catching them. “Not yet.” She held out her hand and waited for Kalinda to take it. “Bedroom.” 

This was usually the part of the dream when Kalinda woke up. She was never able to completely finish a sexual dream that involved Alicia without waking up in a cold sweat and frustrated. She was never able to bring herself to orgasm thinking about her. It never felt right. She craved for her hands on her body. Wanted to know what it really felt like to be touched by the one person she cared for in the world. She slid her hand into Alicia’s, stood from the couch and guided the half naked woman towards the bedroom she had come to know as well as her own. 

It was as if time slowed down once the bedroom door closed. Kalinda was out of her comfort zone. She was usually the one in charge in the bedroom. She was the aggressor. She wanted others to beg. She didn’t do the begging. But watching Alicia, standing in front of her, asking her for everything but saying nothing. She watched as the attorney lowered herself to her knees. Looking up at her through her thick lashes and black curls. It was the sexist thing she had ever seen. She could feel Alicia’s fingertips on her thighs, lowering the zipper on one boot, then the other. She careful stepped out of the confining leather, now three inches shorter. “Alicia...” she whispered, as the woman on her knees lowered the black thigh highs that matched the leather boots. She slipped one and then the other from her feet with Alicia’s assistance. 

Alicia could smell how aroused Kalinda was. She lowered the zipper on the tight leather skirt, glancing up to Kalinda’s face to ask permission. The investigator ran a hand through Alicia’s dark hair, lingering a littler longer on her pale cheek before nodding. She felt the tug as the leather skirt was pulled to the floor, revealing her soaked pink silk panties. She could see the wetness coating her thighs. Could see the tremors begin as Alicia’s fingers slowly ran up the length of Kalinda’s long, strong legs. 

Alicia stood. Running a hand softly along Kalinda’s cheek. “I want to kiss you now,” she whispered, her lips barely touching the investigators. 

Kalinda shivered. No other lover had ever made her shiver. No other lover had ever made her lose control of every cell in her body. No other lover had ever made her beg. “Please, Alicia,” she begged. 

Alicia finally closed those last few inches between them. Kalinda’s lips were erotically soft underneath her own. Taking a moment to savor the taste of her. To remember that first electrifying feeling. Her fingers slowly worked on the buttons of Kalinda’s blouse. “I want to see you,” she whispered against her lovers lips. 

Kalinda stepped back, a sexy smirk plastered across her face. It was the usual Kalinda smile. The seductress’ smile. She worked the buttons through the holes as quickly as her shaking hands would allow. Shrugging the shirt from her shoulders and allowing it to wrinkle on the floor. She was more nervous than she had ever remember being. Many men and women had seen her body, but Alicia felt different. Her best friend saw through her body, appreciated her beautiful, but saw her heart. Alicia saw more of her than any of her previous lovers. She allowed her to see it all. 

Alicia thought the pink silk suited her beautiful bronze skin. It softened the investigator. Alicia took a step toward her, raising a hand to the back of Kalinda’s head. Pulling the pins from the tight, neat bun. Kalinda started to say something, but Alicia kissed the side of her mouth, stopping any protest. “I told you I wanted to see all of you,” she whispered against her cheek, continuing to pull the pins. 

Kalinda could feel the tension against her scalp giving little by little. Every time a pin was pulled from its very selective place, a few strands at a time would fall. And with that, her mask was starting to crack. Once the final pins were gone, and her long black hair was covering her shoulders, Alicia placed the collection she had gathered on dresser. Her eyes never leaving Kalinda’s. She felt naked and exposed under the lawyers’ gaze. Her breath began to increase. Her entire body felt as if she were going to melt. Her palms were sweating and her hands began to shaking. Kalinda tried to remember what her therapist had told her to do when she felt overwhelmed, but she couldn’t focus. She was panicking. The emotion running through her brain was too much. The feeling shooting through her body was becoming overwhelming. She lost Alicia’s eyes, glancing everywhere but at her friend. “Alicia, I...” She tried to force the tears away before Alicia could see them. Tried to put the mask back in place. She was embarrassing herself in front of the one person that mattered the most to her. 

Alicia could see the panic attack as it began. She had enough of them herself over the last few years. Peter had been no help. Surprisingly, Zach sat with her through her worst attacks. Learning techniques from the internet in order to calm her faster and safer than yelling. She grabbed the silk robe from the end of the bed, wrapping it carefully around Kalinda’s shoulders. Her hand touching Kalinda’s face carefully, waiting for her to lean into her touch. The investigator’s eyes were closed, but her lips were slightly parted, trying to capture more air. Alicia reached down between their bodies, grabbing Kalinda’s hand and bringing it back up to her chest. Allowing her to feel her heartbeat under her palm. Allowing her chest to rise and fall, hoping Kalinda would match her. Wanting to calm the panic before Kalinda bolted. She leaned forward, kissing the side of her face before resting her lips against the investigator’s ear. “Just breathe,” she whispered, watching Kalinda’s breathing slow. Watching her lips moving as if reciting something silently to herself. “Why don’t we just lay down for a while.”

Kalinda turned her face into Alicia’s neck. The investigator wanted to hide. She was ashamed. The last panic attack she had had been a year before Alicia started at the firm. She was supposed to have them under control. She had never had a panic attack in front of anyone but Will. She felt completely exposed; naked. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally act like this.” 

Alicia smiled against her ear. “Don’t ever apologize to me.” The attorney took a step back, never letting go of Kalinda’s hand. “Let’s lay down,” she whispered, motioning at the four poster bed. She wouldn’t rush what was happening between them. She wouldn’t risk frightening Kalinda away because of the pleasure she was seeking. 

Kalinda allowed the robe to drop from her shoulders before climbing into the bed. Enjoying the coolness of Alicia’s purple sheets against her over heated skin. She leaned back against the pillows, smelling Alicia’s unique scent. It wasn’t her perfume. It wasn’t her shampoo or soap. It was Alicia. A scent that she had only ever smelled a handful of times. Usually when they were working late at night in Alicia’s living room or in a small conference room at work. It was a smell she had learned to crave. 

Alicia climbed in the bed next to the nervous investigator, pulling the sheets up to their waist. Resting on her side to not miss a moment of Kalinda’s face. “Do you wanna talk about it?” It never helped when Alicia would talk about her panic attacks with anyone. No one understood. The best thing she ever did for herself was avoid her triggers. 

Kalinda exhaled loudly. She didn’t have panic attacks in front of lovers. In the past, when she would become overwhelmed, she would simply leave. She couldn’t do that with Alicia. She couldn’t walk out. “I’ve had them since I was in my late teens. They only happen when I’m overwhelmed. I’m not good at all the emotional stuff. That’s why I don’t have relationships. I can never give people what they want. I want to be more than that for you. That’s what scares me.”

Alicia brushed the hair out of Kalinda’s face. She couldn’t believe how much sexier she looked with her beautiful black hair cascading down her shoulders. Her fingers played with the curls around her bare shoulder. “If you’re not ready for this, we can just sleep. I just don’t want you to leave.”

Kalinda laughed to herself, finally glancing over at her new partner. “It’s not that I don’t want you, Alicia. There hasn’t been a moment since we met that I haven’t wanted you. And God knows I’m trying my hardest to control myself now. But you need to be sure that this is what you want.”

Alicia leaned forward. Kalinda was beautiful when she blushed. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears turning bright pink. “You don’t need to control yourself. You can do whatever you want here.” She ran a fingertip down Kalinda’s arm, smiling at the goosebumps that appeared. “I’m all yours.”

Kalinda shifted to her side. Her hand hesitating before it pushed the sheet down Alicia’s hip. She was silent as her fingers explored the newly exposed flesh. Tracing the seam of her panties before focusing on the belly ring. She felt Alicia shiver as she tugged slightly on the metal. It suited the woman lying next to her. It may not suit the powerhouse attorney, but the feral woman panting beneath her fingers, it was perfect for her. A simple silver dangle. “When did you do that?”

Alicia smiled as the memory flashed through her mind. “High School graduation. A bunch of us got drunk. My friend Adam worked at a tattoo parlor doing piercings so I let him do mine. Peter always hated it, but I think that was only because Will liked it so much.” The attorney laughed to herself as she remembered Will constantly aggravating Peter. “When Will and I would study late in my dorm room, we would usually end up getting giddy. Or I would just get overly tired, I don’t remember. Will would always play with it when I would start to doze off. Peter would get so pissed if we went to a pool party together and Will was there. He would scream at me later that he couldn’t keep his eyes off me. That I was leading him on. Will told me later that he could stop looking at the belly ring. He thought it was hot because it was a side of myself I didn’t let a lot of people see.”

Kalinda played with the cold metal. She understood Will’s appeal to the shiny piercing. She was developing her own obsession. “I think it’s sexy.”

Alicia hummed her approval. Reflecting back on another memory. Kalinda would find it eventually anyway. “You should see the tat I got when Will and I graduated from Georgetown,” she said with a smirk.

Kalinda could have sworn her heart had stopped. She couldn’t imagine Will sitting under a needle for any amount of time. She already knew Alicia could take the pain of a needle being repeatedly jabbed into her skin for over an hour. She had seen the peace sign on her hip, but chose not to say anything. Saving that story for another time. “Will has a tattoo?”

Alicia shook her head, remembering the terrified look on Will’s face as the needle pierced her skin for the first time. “No, he held my hand while I got mine. He chickened out at the last minute. But I never regretted it.”

Kalinda gave that sly smile. The gears in her brain turning. She had seen almost every inch of the beautiful attorney. Where could she be hiding the mysterious ink. “Where’s the tat, Alicia?” she asked, nuzzling Alicia’s nose with her own. 

Alicia glanced down her body, giving Kalinda permission to begin her search. Enjoying this new side to the investigator that she hadn’t seen before. “Find it,” she whispered.

Kalinda’s hand moved the few inches to Alicia’s hip. Pulling the hem of her panties away from the space between her thigh and hip. It was a small A on her pelvic bone. The investigator straddled the older woman’s thigh, tracing the letter with her fingers as she watched the attorney’s face. Kalinda knew by the way the woman under her shivered, it had been a long time since she had been touched. She could also tell by the gentle dark curls under her fingers that Alicia hadn’t planned this. “What does it mean?”

Alicia felt Kalinda’s fingers tracing the letter. Feeling the pressure on her pelvic bone. “I never wanted to forget who I was. I wanted to be a lawyer for a reason and I never wanted that reason to get lost.”

Kalinda inched down the bed. Her thumb still running along the tattoo. “Can I?” she asked, glancing up through her lashes. 

Alicia nodded, shifting to her back. “I’m all yours, Kalinda.” She was more compliant than she were normally be with a new partner, but it had been a year since Peter had touched her. And she didn’t make it a frequent habit to touch herself. She would allow Kalinda to do whatever she wanted to her. As long as the beautiful woman above her was touching her, she didn’t care how. 

The investigator smirked as she positioned herself between Alicia’s thighs. “That’s a very dangerous statement to make.” She kissed, licked, and bit down Alicia’s stomach. Stopping only for a moment to pay special attention to the belly ring before placing gentle kisses along her pantie line. “You have no idea how beautiful you are, Alicia,” she whispered against the fabric covering her most intimate parts. She felt Alicia shiver and watched as her green eyes fluttered closed. She could smell her arousal. Could see it coating her thighs. Her tongue snaked out between her lip, gently running along the inside of Alicia’s pale thigh. Tasting her arousal and skin for the first time. The lawyer tasted like peaches and something musky. Something that she had never tasted with any other woman. She moaned as Alicia spread her legs wider. “God, you smell so good,” she groaned against her thigh. She tugged at the side of the offending garment. Watching Alicia’s face before slowly sitting up and kissing her sweetly on the lips. Her fingers still playing with the material between them. “These need to go, Ms. Cavanaugh,” she whispered against the attorney’s lips. Hoping Alicia could slightly taste herself on her lips. 

Alicia smiled as she nipped at Kalinda’s bottom lip. Moving her hips against the investigator’s strong thigh. “I don’t remember telling you to stop.”

Kalinda took the green light, snaking her hands behind Alicia’s back and easily unhooking her bra. Sliding the straps down her pale, freckled arms until the material freed her breasts. She dropped the silk fabric on the floor beside the bed. She repeated the action with her own bra. Watching Alicia’s face as she hovered over her. The lawyer’s body was beautiful. Her chest was lightly dusted with freckles. Her breasts were beautifully pale and her nipples were a gorgeous shade of pink. Kalinda allowed her fingers to run circles around her erect flesh. Watching Alicia’s mouth fall open and her eyes flutter closed. The lawyers cheeks were beginning to turn pink. Kalinda’s knee slowly came between Alicia’s legs and made contact with her hot core. She could feel the wetness coating her knee and thigh as she lowered her mouth to Alicia’s now sensitive nipples. Suckling on the skin gently before flicking her tongue over the flesh. “You’re so turned on, aren’t you, Alicia,” she whispered against her flesh. Her thigh grinding hard against her wet core. 

Alicia could feel how embarrassingly wet she was. Lifting her hips to receive more contact from the woman that was currently teasing her. Her hot mouth surrounding and teasing her nipples was sending white hot arousal shooting to her core. Alicia’s fingers tangled in Kalinda’s dark hair, pulling her up her body. Nuzzling Kalinda’s nose with her own before she captured her lips in a heated kiss. “You have to stop teasing me,” she gasped as Kalinda sucked hard on the skin of her neck. “I want you inside me. I want to feel you inside me so bad,” she moaned, arching her body in Kalinda’s direction. 

Kalinda chuckled slightly. She had never seen a woman turned on so much in her entire adult life. The lawyers eyes were dilated. Her chest was flushed and wet. Her thighs were trembling in anticipation. Her hands shook, wanting so badly to touch herself. She wanted nothing more than to make the woman lying under her to come. “Let me taste you,” she whispered against Alicia’s lips. 

Alicia moaned and arched her back into Kalinda’s touch. Watching as her lover snaked back down her body with a sexy grin on her face. She lifted her hips when she felt the investigators fingers tug on the material, allowing her to slip the garment from her hips and down her legs. Alicia didn’t know where her panties had landed and at that moment she couldn’t have cared less. She spread her legs as Kalinda made herself comfortable between her thighs. She could feel her hot breath on her core. The teasing tongue and lips against her sensitive thighs. The first swipe of her tongue caused Alicia to moan deep in her throat and lift her hips for more contact. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when oral sex had made her feel completely out of control. She had never lost herself under the care of some else’s tongue. But with every pass of Kalinda’s tongue and lips over her swollen clit caused her to gasp and bite down hard on her lip. 

The investigator stopped for a moment. “Don’t do that. I want to hear you,” she whispered before lowering herself back to the dripping core that she was quickly beginning to crave the taste and smell of. Kalinda could see the arousal coating Alicia’s lips. The first real taste of her caused the investigators tongue to tingle. She was so hot and so sweet. Kalinda would never grow tired of the taste of the woman that was quivering below her. Her tongue made quick circles around Alicia’s swollen clit. Sucking it between her lips gently. Listening to Alicia moan as her fingers slowly circled her entrance. “You have no idea how good you taste,” she mumbled before sucking the hard flesh with more force, causing Alicia’s back to arch. Two of her fingers now slicked with Alicia’s sweetness. She watched her lovers face as she slowly slide two fingers deep inside Alicia’s sweet heat. 

Alicia released a breathy moan as she finally felt Kalinda fill her. She had never felt so on edge in her life. She could feel Kalinda flexing and curling her fingers. Her lips still sucking gently on her clit. Alicia’s hands tangled in the dark locks. She knew she was going to come hard. “God, Kalinda,” she moaned into the dimly light room. Even as the words left her body, she still couldn’t believe she was saying them. She felt Kalinda push down hard on her lower abdomen, curl her fingers and moan against her core. Her thighs began to shake. A cold sweat began to break out on her neck and chest. “Kalinda...” she whined, interlacing her fingers with Kalinda’s against her belly. She felt Kalinda remove her fingers one last time before slowly moving three fingers back inside her, curling them quickly and sucking her clit harder than she had before. Alicia’s back arched from the bed, the moan that left her throat was deep and drawn out, her hand gripped tighter to Kalinda’s. Finally the dam broke. 

A small flood of liquid gushed from Alicia’s opening and into the palm of Kalinda’s hand. The investigator continued to move her fingers slowly. Dragging out the orgasm as long as Alicia’s body would allow. Her internal muscles continuously contracting around the investigators fingers. Her tongue slowly circled her clit, waiting for Alicia’s body to relax. Kalinda’s eyes never left Alicia’s face. She was beautiful in a fit of ecstasy. As Kalinda felt her internal muscles begin to relax, she slowly pulled her fingers from Alicia’s body. Receiving a low moan in protest. She ran her tongue through Alicia again, cleaning up the mess she had made and bringing Alicia back down gently. She only stopped when Alicia’s hand tangled itself in her hair and tugged gently. Kalinda grinned against her thigh, wiping her mouth on sheet before lying next to Alicia. The lawyer purred as she turned on her side, nuzzling Kalinda’s neck with a sated look on her face. She reached for Kalinda’s hand, the one that was still drenched with Alicia’s arousal, and brought the investigator’s fingers to her mouth. Locking eyes with Kalinda before wrapping her lips around them and sucking them clean. Kalinda growled. “You have no idea how hot that is,” she moaned as she bit her lower lip. 

Alicia’s eyes turned a bright green. She could feel the blood rushing in her ears. Arousal and attraction had never felt this way for her. There was never a desperation to see Peter finish. There was never anything particularly romantic about watching her husband come for her; even before the scandal broke their lives wide open. She was always more worried about herself. Peter had never been a man that could make her come every time. With the woman lying in her bed at that moment, she felt that raw need to make her tremble. To make her beg for release. To watch her as she finally came. She wanted to see Kalinda fall apart for her so damn bad. She released Kalinda’s fingers, capturing her lips with hers instead. Pushing on her chest gently until Kalinda was flat on her back. Wanting to see her lover’s want and need in her eyes as she exploded. She leaned over the younger woman, her hand pinning an arm over her head. Feeling her fingers flex intertwine with her own as she moaned deep in the back of her throat. Her mouth sucking on the skin of her neck, biting hard at the skin on her shoulder until she felt Kalinda tense and freeze. Her entire body was frozen in a moment of fear and a gasp escaped her lips as if she had been holding her breath. Alicia stopped and pulled away to watch Kalinda’s face. Not sure what she had done wrong. The investigator’s face was unreadable. Her eyes closed tight and her hand tightening in her own. Alicia removed her hand from Kalinda’s wrist, bringing her fingers to cup her chin. The investigator’s eyes fluttered open, seeking her partners. “What happened?” she whispered, as she rolled herself and Kalinda back to their sides. 

Kalinda smiled. She tried to smile, actually. So many men had held her down in the past. So many powerful men took advantage of her body in the most violent of ways. But she couldn’t say those things. Not in that moment. “There are things about me you don’t know. I don’t want to talk about them right now.” She grabbed Alicia’s hand and brought it to her lips. “I promise to tell you all about them later, but I can’t talk about them right now. This is too special to ruin with talk of the past.” In reality, Kalinda was afraid Alicia wouldn’t want her after she knew the truth. After she knew what he ex-husband did to her. What his friends did to her. Her thoughts were quickly refocused as her lover’s hand began to softly caress her body again. 

Alicia ran her hand down Kalinda’s bare hip. Bringing the investigator’s thigh to rest against her hip and back. Opening Kalinda to her. The lawyer’s fingers trailed along the inside of the younger woman’s thigh, wet with fresh arousal. She watched as Kalinda’s eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted with a small shutter. Alicia did take notice in how her lover’s body was reacting. She was completely relaxed. Completely giving herself over to the attorney. It was the opposite reaction she had received minutes earlier. “You don’t wanna be pinned down,” she whispered against Kalinda’s lips, feeling a shiver run through the smaller woman’s body in response. Alicia’s finger’s continued her gentle caresses. Moving her fingers over the investigator’s rib cage with feather like touches. Causing Kalinda to whimper against her lips. “Don’t act like I can’t read you better than anyone. Your body tells me more than I need to know.” Her hand moves to Kalinda’s full breasts. Using her nails to scratch over the erect nipples. “I love the way your body responds to my touch.” She swallowed Kalinda’s moan as her tongue snaked into her mouth. Still tasting herself on the investigator’s tongue. “You could never ruin anything,” she whispered as her hand continued to travel down Kalinda’s slender body. Her fingers pausing for a moment over the small scar she had noticed to the right of the younger woman’s naval. “You can tell me where that came from later,” she whispered as she nipped at Kalinda’s lip before moving on to her slender neck. Alicia biting and sucking on the skin beneath her ear, her fingers continuing their journey to Kalinda’s core. “Any time you have anything to say…..” Her hand slid between the investigator’s legs, feeling her wet, hot center for the first time. Feeling her body arch slowly into her hand. Alicia couldn’t help but moan as she began circling Kalinda’s clit. Feeling how much the younger woman wanted her. “...you need to say it, Love.” 

Kalinda couldn’t process the words Alicia was whispering into the air. The pleasure coursing between her legs was blinding. She could feel Alicia’s warm mouth cover one of her breasts. Sucking the nipple between her lips hard. Kalinda’s chest arched against Alicia’s mouth as she felt the attorney’s fingers enter her with little resistance. “Alicia...” she moaned into the darkness. Her hips were barely able to move against Alicia’s fingers, but that didn’t seem to stop the attorney from doing all the work herself. She could feel Alicia’s breath on her face. That was the only sensation that grounded her as Alicia’s slender fingers curled deep within her. Reaching places Kalinda didn’t believe was possible. Causing her to gasp and moan. Her thigh tightening around her lover’s hip. She was already so close to coming she couldn’t stand the pressure. 

Alicia felt the damn begin to break. She watched Kalinda’s eyes as they fluttered open. The lawyer continued to curl her fingers gently inside her lover. Wanting to coax the impeding climax from her slowly. Wanted her to feel love and protected while she fell apart. She wouldn’t rush how beautiful she knew her orgasm would be. “I love you, Kalinda,” She whispered against her lips. 

Kalinda felt her world finally shatter as ecstasy finally overtook her. Her walls pulsed violently around Alicia’s fingers. Her vision blurred with tears as her eyes slammed closed. It was the first time she allowed herself to fall and trust that Alicia would catch her. The lawyer’s soft words whispered in her ear grounded her as her thighs shook and a low moan is released from her chest. “Alicia…..” she groaned as her body gave a final jerk before slowly relaxing against Alicia’s. 

The older woman watched her face through the length of her climax and it’s aftershocks. She had never seen that much pleasure pass over someone so slowly and yet so quickly. She had never seen Kalinda that expressive. She brushed the stray hairs away from her face; not wanting to miss a single moment of her recovery. “You’re so beautiful when you come,” Alicia whispered as she kissed Kalinda’s sweaty forehead. She waited for Kalinda’s thigh to relax against her hip before she pulled her fingers from the investigators warm body. She decided against tasting the investigator on her fingers. She knew there would be time for that later. Instead, she rested her wet fingers against Kalinda’s naked hip, holding her in place. The investigator’s face was buried in Alicia’s neck. She felt the wetness on her skin, heard the almost silent sniffles. Alicia ran a hand to the back of Kalinda’s neck, nuzzling her ear gently. “What’s with the tears?”

Kalinda laughed suddenly, pulling herself away far enough to see the lawyers satisfied grin. She had never cried after sex. Not once with any of her partners had they evoked that type of emotional reaction from her. “I’m happy,” she whispered against Alicia’s lips. Kissing her slowly. “I’ve never felt this before.”

Alicia rolled to her back, pulling Kalinda to lay in her arms. Her thigh draped over her hips. “You’re so beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often,” Alicia said, brushing the hair out of Kalinda’s face. She was still smiling. It was the type of smile that reached her eyes causing them to light up even in the darkness. The lawyer had only seen it a handful of times when they were alone; usually drunk.

Kalinda could feel the blush returning to her cheeks. She was accustom to the occasional compliment from her partners. With Alicia she felt the words as much as she heard them. “I don’t think anyone would take me seriously at work if I smiled all the time.”

Alicia interlaced her fingers with Kalinda’s, resting their hands over her heart. She could feel the constant thumping underneath their hands. And she knew it would continue to beat fast as long as she could hold the investigator against her. “I take you very seriously.”

Kalinda hummed as she gently kissed Alicia’s cheek before resting her head against the older woman’s shoulder. The lawyer’s skin smelled like lavender causing her smile to widen. “You aren’t a hardened criminal or a gang banger either.”

Alicia stiffened for a moment. Her hand splaying protectively across the investigator’s back. She never put much thought until the things Kalinda did. Where she had to go. She kissed her forehead. “The things you do….the people you deal with...are you in danger?”

Kalinda hadn’t wanted Alicia to know the things she had to do to get the information for got. She would immediately cease using her body to gain information. That wasn’t something she would typically do when she began sleeping with someone. But Alicia was different. She would give up many parts of herself to keep Alicia. “Honestly...sometimes. I don’t work only for Lockhart/Gardner. I’m only a contractor so I can work independently. Some of my other clients aren’t white collar.”

Alicia continued to run her hand up and down Kalinda’s side. Her nails dragging along her ribs slowly, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin. The investigator’s entire body shivered; a chill running through her as her skin began to cool. Alicia pulled the comforter over them with the hand that had been resting on her abdomen. “Just promise you’ll come home at night.”

“I’ll always come home to you,” she yawned against Alicia’s neck. It was a declaration that she didn’t make easy. Even in her tired, exhausted state Kalinda knew how much she was giving. She was promising something that she had never promised before. It was take time, but eventually, it would become a habit for her to keep that promise. 

Alicia closed her eyes. Smelling the sweat in Kalinda’s hair as she kissed the top of her head. “Promise you’ll still be here when I wake up,” she whispered, not aware of the tears that were threatening to fall.

Kalinda kissed the spot behind her ear that she learned earlier made the attorney purr. She wasn’t one to stay the entire night with anyone. Always left shortly after her lover dozed off. She never slept well in anyone else’s bed but her own. Never been able to relax with another person sleeping next to her. Not since her husband. Not since she had to learn to always be on guard. But with Alicia, there was no guard. No caution tape. There wasn’t even any damn speed bumps. She couldn’t leave. She couldn’t break the only person that made her feel like she was doing something right. She had someone that loved her despite her many flaws. “I promise,” she whispered, wiping the stray tear from Alicia’s cheek. “I love you, Alicia.”

Alicia smiled to herself. She couldn’t see Kalinda’s face but she could feel her lips against her neck. She could feel Kalinda’s breathing begin to even out. Her hand beginning to relax against her chest. The lawyer turned her head slightly, kissing the investigator’s cheek. “Thank you for always loving me.” She didn’t know if Kalinda heard her words or not. But for the first time in a long time, Alicia found herself drifting off into a peaceful sleep with Kalinda’s warmth wrapped around her. 

In the morning she would remember those words as Kalinda’s sleepy smile greeted her. Kalinda had always loved her. Had always shown her love in subtle ways. In those early morning hours, Alicia would see it. See all those moments. And love Kalinda more as each memory past her by.


End file.
